Sometimes it’s the genes.
This was all about the heart.
Cheshire, Conn., senior De’Naya Rippey has a love for basketball.
And why not – her father – Deron Sr. coached at I.S. 265 and Bedford Academy High School.
Her younger brother – Deron Jr. was a star at New Jersey’s Blair Academy.
“I have a true love for the game,” the 5-foot-9 senior told the Brooklyn Eagle. “Basketball was my life.”
Basketball was in fact De’Naya’s life from the ages of seven to about 11, she says. “I started dancing after that; but returned to basketball when I was about 15.”
It was her dad’s words that got her back on the basketball court. “Dad said dancing wouldn’t get me to college for free,” she said.
Father knows best. Dad got his college education paid for in basketball at East Carolina University.
Now it’s De’Naya’s time – and she shouldn’t have any problem with colleges knocking on her door.
She averaged over 22 points-per-game this season, and as a junior that number was over 25 per-game – including a game-high 40.
The 1,000-point career mark came easily for her as a junior.
But there was pressure – real pressure once basketball became a serious subject at Cheshire Academy.
“I won’t lie,” she said, “There was a great deal of pressure when I decided to return to the game. I had much to strive for – and two great models to follow.”
That would be her dad – and her brother.
In fact, her dad credits his move from Brooklyn to Cheshire in changing his life immeasurably for the better and says it has done the same for his daughter.
Oh, did we mention pop also poured in 1,000-plus points at the Connecticut school as well.
“I was just obligated to try and do the same things my dad did. He is a Hall of Famer here, and I am really proud to have had my career on the same court as him.”
De ’Naya Rippey loves a challenge – be it on the court or academically. She’s succeeded at both, with her 3.6 GPA.
“I was a kid coming from Brooklyn and going to Cheshire Academy changed my life, and now I see it’s changed De ’Naya’s life,” Deron has said to the local media in Connecticut. “It was bigger than basketball for me, and it is bigger than basketball for her.”
With her father being a 1993 graduate of CA, Rippey chose to leave her high school (Urban Assembly) and then reclassify to attend prep school in Cheshire.
“A lot of people where I come from don’t get to come to places like Cheshire Academy and have an opportunity to play sports and get an education,” De’Naya told the Herald in Conn. “My dad told me that Cheshire provided a lot for him and changed his life. He told me that he didn’t have the same opportunities I had growing up.”
De’Naya lead Chesire to a 17-5 won-loss record this season, and basketball on the college level is certainly on the horizon.
“De’Naya wants to play at the next level, that meant turning up her defensive intensity, which she has done, Cheshire Academy coach Caroline Brasca said to the media.
“I have my goals,” De’Naya said, “To play on the collegiate level, and to see what kind of player I really can be. I’d like to be an all-conference performer wherever I go.”
She says St. Bonaventure University (Olean, N.Y.) could be her next stop. “They seem to play like I play,” she said. “And I think I can make an impact for their program.”
In the long run she’d love a shot at the WNBA.
But what she really wants – and what most probably is a given – she’d like to do something that’s never been done before at Cheshire Academy.
She’d like a Cheshire first.
That would be side-by-side with her dad in the school’s Hall of Fame.
Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR.
